In recent times, Lyme Disease has emerged as an increasing public health threat. The Center for Disease Control has reported that the number of Lyme Disease cases has increased steadily from 1982 to 1995 with 47 of 50 states reporting at least one case of Lyme Disease. In the United States, three ticks of the Ixodes genus, Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes dammini in the East and Ixodes pacificus in the West commonly carry the spirochete that causes the disease and are in a two year enzootic cycle with rodents and deer.
There has not heretofore been described an effective technique for controlling the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in rodents.